As part of a notable military action, Ukrainian forces reportedly used British-made Storm Shadow missiles to target and hit a major Russian oil refinery. This strike was carried out Thursday, as stated by the country's military command.
The targeted facility, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, was reportedly hit, with multiple blasts observed at the site. This represents another instance where Ukrainian forces has deployed these powerful British-supplied missiles to hit targets inside Russian soil.
Ukrainian officials emphasized that the Novoshakhtinsk facility acts as one of the primary providers of petrol products in Russia's south and is actively engaged in supplying the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that he held productive discussions with representatives of ex-President Donald Trump, namely Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These talks focused on potential pathways to bring the conflict to a close.
“We had a really good conversation: many details, constructive proposals, that we discussed,” Zelenskyy wrote on a social media platform. “There are some new ideas on how to bring real peace closer, and it involves formats, meetings, and, of course, the schedule.”
In a parallel internal matter, a court in Russia has convicted a activist and critic of Vladimir Putin on charges of justifying terrorism. Sergei Udaltsov, leader of the Left Front movement, was sentenced to six years in prison.
The charges are said to be based on an article Udaltsov published backing another group of activists charged with forming a terrorist group. Udaltsov has rejected the allegations as fabricated and, following the verdict, stated his intention to begin a hunger strike in protest.
The Kremlin has stated it is in contact with French authorities concerning the case of Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving a three-year sentence in Russia and allegedly facing new charges of spying.
A spokesperson stated that Russia has presented a proposal to France in the case of Vinatier, and now “it is in France’s court.” French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed he is monitoring the situation, with all government services mobilised to provide consular support and advocate for his liberation at the earliest opportunity.
A theatre in Mariupol, which was leveled in a 2022 Russian airstrike while many civilians sought refuge in its basement, is scheduled to open its doors again. Russian occupation authorities have promoted the reconstruction as a symbol of recovery.
Conversely, previous staff from the theatre have called the planned opening as “a macabre spectacle.” This project is part of a broader Kremlin effort to present its administration in occupied Ukraine, a process accompanied by the arrest or exile of dissenting voices and confiscation of assets from local residents.
The theatre is due to reopen by the month's end with a performance of a Russian fairytale, following its reconstruction largely anew over the past two years.
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